


Boogeyman, Boogeyman Go Away

by JadeDraggy2017



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: 'Happy Ending', Actualization, Angst, Canon Typical Violence, Domestic Violence, Gun Violence, Halucinations, M/M, Panic Attacks, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Stalking, Unreliable Narrator, brief mention of sex, happy 2/2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:07:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29164701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeDraggy2017/pseuds/JadeDraggy2017
Summary: It's Ren's one year Anniversary! And he just wants to celebrate it with Goro in peace. But everywhere he goes, the Boogeyman follows.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 5
Kudos: 69





	Boogeyman, Boogeyman Go Away

**Author's Note:**

> Look I have two modes. Either I can't write. Or a write a fuck ton. And it being 2/2 I, of course, showed up for the angst party.
> 
> Because what am I if not predictable?  
> Shout out to [TwilightKnight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightKnight17) for the help!
> 
> Follow me for insanity:  
> [tumblr](https://adraggynamedjade.tumblr.com/)  
> [@draggynamed](https://twitter.com/draggynamed)  
> 

It was the day before their anniversary.

That was the first thing Ren remembered when he woke up. One year together. Though they’ve had their ups and downs, overall Ren would have to say it’s been perfect.

He rolled over to grab his phone off the windowsill and disconnected his charger. On the screen, he had a few notifications from his friends, one sent from Ann around midnight saying that Morgana was crashing at her place.

Well, that explained why he wasn’t woken up in the middle of the night by his unceremonious return.  
  
The rest were messages in their group chat.  
  
The last one was a message from his boyfriend.  
  
 **Goro:** In order to ensure we won’t be interrupted tomorrow, I’ve asked my professor to move up my presentation date to today, and will be pulling a longer shift with Sae-san. I’ll see you tomorrow. Try not to get into trouble!

He set the phone down and stared up at his ceiling with a goofy smile on his face. He could wait one day to see him. Plus, it would give him time to prepare.

“I can’t lie here all day,” Ren muttered to himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “I have to get groceries. Pick up my order. And get things ready for our anniversary date.”

He tossed off his covers and sat up to stretch. It was going to be a great day

_.Something moved in the corner of his room_

Ren stopped stretching, his arms held in the air as his chest tightened.  
  
Not today.  
  
He couldn’t believe this was happening today of all days. Ren slowly lowered his arms and stared straight ahead.

‘Just ignore it, Ren. Just ignore it and go to the bathroom.’ He nodded to reassure himself he was making the right decision and got up from his bed to head to the bathroom. He was at least alone in the bathroom. Free to look at his reflection without the worry of something else’s gaze creeping in from around the corner. However, he knew he’d eventually have to leave and go back to his room.

He had to make a plan.

Ren decided he’d leave the bathroom, get dressed, and help Sojiro in the café for the duration of the morning and through lunch, and then he’d go shopping for groceries for his anniversary dinner. Ren looked himself in the mirror and nodded.

‘Yeah, that will work.’

He left the bathroom and rushed upstairs, doing his best to focus on his goal and not the fact that something was sitting at his workbench. He could hear the chair creak as it rocked back and forth on its back legs. But he didn’t look in that direction. He kept his vision slightly down and focused on changing out of his pajamas before fleeing to the safety of the café.

The café would be a safe place for him because there were other things to focus on: Sojiro, the customers, Futaba and Wakaba when they stopped in for lunch. He also had his tasks to do: beans to refill and beans to grind, produce to chop, rice to cook, and so on. The constant activity and noise kept his eyes from wandering, and the presence of others meant he was never alone.

And as long as he wasn’t alone it couldn’t hurt him.

As he cleaned up from the last lunchtime customer, the same man who hung around for hours to discuss politics, Ren caught sight of it out the corner of his eye

. _It_ _was sitting at the counter_

Right across from Sojiro.

“Well,” Sojiro spoke up, “we need a few things for tomorrow. I’m going to head to the store. You watch the place while I’m gone.”

Ren felt his heart sink. He’d be alone, with not much else to keep his mind distracted.

“Can I go?” Ren looked at Sojiro, and only Sojiro. Doing his best to make sure his eyes looked up and over the black spot in the room.

“Hmn? You want to go? Are you sure?”

“I need some groceries for my anniversary dinner with Goro. And I have an order to pick up anyway.”

. _A book fell off the counter_

Sojiro turned to look at it, but Ren kept looking at Sojiro.

“Just give me a list, and I’ll get your stuff with mine.”

“Alright,” Sojiro agreed as he walked around the counter to pick up the book. He placed it back on the counter and Ren kept staring ahead.

Out on the streets of Yongen-Jaya, it was harder to pay attention to it. To pay attention to the odd footsteps following behind his. There were plenty of people around and sights and sounds to focus on as he went down to the shops around the corner. Inside he was occupied with inspecting the vegetables for the best quality. Or scanning the shelves for the right chili powder mix. And watching the scale for meat to make sure he was given the right amount.

Still, every time he turned around from his task, content with his purchase

_.There’s that black figure standing at the end of the aisle_

‘Just don’t look at it,’ Ren squeezed his eyes shut as he hurried past the aisle. ‘The doctor told you it’s just a Boogeyman. It can’t hurt you if you don’t let it.’  
  
Ren hurried along to his final destination, a little bakery that had recently opened up in the area. He’d only tried a few cookies from there with Futaba, but they offered other items. He’d placed an order last week and picked it up today. The box was just a bit bigger than both his hands. It was small but perfect.  
  
He kept his head down as he exited the shop with the box. A content smile on his face. As he exited the shop

  
_.It stood outside the window, watching him_

He hurried back to the café to throw himself into his closing tasks. Hopefully Morgana would be home soon, and he wouldn’t be alone by the time Sojiro left. However, as the afternoon waned on and the evening settled in, there was still no sign of the café’s other resident.

Ren felt himself growing anxious. Sojiro was getting ready to leave and he’d be all alone.

He grabbed his phone and sent a text to Morgana.  
  


 **Ren:** Hey! When are you coming home? You stayed out all last night and didn’t show up at all today?

 **Morgana:** Oh! Sorry! I’m not coming home tonight either.

 **Ren:** Why not?

 **Morgana:** Ann’s got a photoshoot out of town, she asked me to help her pack!

 **Ren:** …For two days?

Ren ran his hand through his hair, still looking at his phone.

“Hey.” Sojiro already had his hat in hand and was preparing to leave. “Everything alright?”

“Yes.” Ren nodded

. _It’s at the counter again_

“Morgana is just staying out… I was expecting him home.”

Sojiro hummed. “Well, as long as he keeps his grades up. And don’t stay up too late. I know you have plans tomorrow, but if you’re too tired you’ll sleep through half of them.”

“Right, right,” Ren chuckled. “I know. Good night.”

He watched Sojiro exit the café. And as the little bell chimed his departure, Ren felt his stomach collapse. His eyes started to drift around the room, looking for something to keep himself occupied. But no matter where he looked, he felt like he was being watched from the counter.

‘Don’t look. Don’t look…’ He looked back down at his phone as he heard the stool at the counter move. Ren scrolled through his contacts until he picked out Ryuji.

 **Ren:** Hey! Morgana is crashing at Ann’s tonight! Do you want to come over? We can binge the latest episodes of ‘ _Dash!’_

Ren bit his bottom lip as he watched the screen. He knew Ryuji had taken a liking to the track anime and hoped it would be enough to entice him to show up

. _It paced around him now_

 **Ryuji:** Bro! I’m so behind! I would love to, but I have to get up early tomorrow for long-distance practice.

 **Ren:** Oh, right… Sorry, I forgot you were kicking up your training.  
  
The phone shook in Ren’s hands. His ears started ringing on and off

  
_.It garbled something out of its beak_

**Ryuji:** No worries, we can totally do it another night! I’ll bring the snacks!

“Sure thing,” Ren muttered but didn’t type.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He was terrified to look up. He didn’t know where it was, but he knew it was in the room. If he continued to be alone he’d have to face it.

And if he faced it, it would be real.

And if it was real, it would hurt him.

“Goro…” Ren opened his eyes and scrolled up his contacts to his boyfriend.

 **Ren:** Hey, babe! I know you said you had to work double today to be off tomorrow, but I can come over tonight, can’t I?

 **Goro:** Really, Ren? You can’t wait to see me?

 **Ren:** It’s our special day! Come on! I can spend the night and right at midnight we can kick off our anniversary! A whole twenty-four hours of you and me!

 **Goro:** Well, you make a convincing argument. I’m on the train home right now. So, head over, I’ll meet you at my place.

Ren let out a sigh of relief and tilted his head back. Alone with Goro for the night. That would be perfect. He shoved his phone into his pocket and hurried upstairs to pack an overnight bag before returning to the kitchen to toss his groceries into another bag and head out

. _All the way there it followed him_

He knew it wouldn’t stay in the café, but he knew Goro would keep his mind off of it. And for the most part, that was true. He lost track of it in the crowd at the Shibuya platform. There were so many people boarding and changing trains to head home for the evening that he couldn’t have seen it if he wanted to.

And yet, it still found a way to make itself known to him.

As he pushed his way through the crowd, Ren caught a glimpse of a long shadow cast along the station wall. His mind couldn’t fathom it, but he knew it was there. Following him as he made his way to the next train. It was a reflection of its horrific state

_A hooked face. Red teeth. Lashing tongue. It’s unreal in this world. It’s hypnotizing to look at black on black on white on black crawling along the wall with black hands and gold hooves._

Ren focused on looking down the darkened train tunnel, waiting for the next train to take him to his destination. If he didn’t look at it, it couldn’t hurt him. No one else saw it. All the other passengers were focused on their phones, each other, looking down wearily at their feet. If he didn’t look at it, then the red-hot metal it dragged along the subway lights couldn’t cut him in two.

‘If I choose not to see it, then it isn’t real.’

As the train pulled into the station, and the windows raced past to a steady halt, he still saw it for a moment, reflecting on the windows of the doors before they opened

. _It_ _and its shadow behind him. Staring holes into the back of his head_

Ren boarded the train in a hurry and took a seat. He prayed that it would stay off, but alas. Once the doors closed, he knew it was inside the train with him. Even if it stood down at the end of the car, he knew it was there.

He just had to hold out until he could see Goro. Goro would make it all stop. He always felt better in his arms.

When Ren arrived at Goro’s apartment complex, he found there were very few people out, but he didn’t feel nervous. The lights were far too bright in the hallways for anything to skulk about the corners. And he was so focused on his destination that he didn’t care to look back over his shoulder to check if he was being followed.

He arrived at Goro’s apartment and knocked excitedly.

Goro opened the door with a somewhat tired smile. “You’re here faster than I exp—”

Ren cut him off by launching himself at Goro’s neck.

His boyfriend stumbled back, startled. “Hey!” He wrapped his arms around Ren and chuckled. “Careful. You almost knocked us over.”

“Sorry.” Ren let go and twisted his bangs between his fingers. “I was just really overjoyed to see you. It’s been… A day.”

“Tell me about it,” Goro half-yawned as he spoke. “I had to get up early to cram everything in… But tomorrow I’m free to spend it with you, no interruptions.” Goro moved aside so Ren could fully enter the apartment and set his stuff down. “What is all that?” he asked as he shut the door.

“Ingredients and a surprise for our anniversary tomorrow!” Ren made his way to the kitchen to put away his purchases, taking extra care to slide the cake box in.  
  
He then took his bag to the bedroom, and by the time he was out, Goro was in the kitchen getting ready to open the fridge. “Hey!”

Ren stood at the end of the hall with his hands on his hips. “Stay out of there!”

“But I want to get a drink.”

“Then I’ll get it.” Ren walked over and shooed him away from the kitchen to grab two bottles of water. He only half-registered that it was standing at the door, watching them. “Here.” He handed Goro a bottle.

“I was also going to grab some instant noodles; I haven’t had dinner yet.”

“Have you eaten at all today?”

Goro stared at Ren for a moment before opening his bottle and slowly walking away.

“Good grief, Goro!”

“I had a lot to do! A paper to turn in, a project to present! Plus casework for Sae—”

“You need to eat.” Ren opened the cabinets and grabbed out two cup noodles, and started preparing them. “Honestly, if I had brought more than just the stuff I was cooking for tomorrow, I’d make you dinner.”

Goro took a seat on his couch. “You’ll understand once you start college… Speaking of, are you preparing for your entrance exams?”

Ren walked over to him with the heated cups, one in each hand. “Don’t change the subject. You’re overworking yourself. Again.”

Goro rolled his eyes and took his meal. “So no. Ren, come on, you’re too smart to not continue your education.”

“What if I want to take a gap year?” Ren sat down next to him and pulled his feet up on the couch. He didn’t feel comfortable with them on the ground.  
  
There were shadows on the floor.

“I doubt you’re taking a gap year to prepare.” Goro started to slurp up his noodles and sighed with relief. He then continued to eat, not stopping to talk until the cup was empty.

“Goro, you can’t keep living like this.” Ren watched him eat. “I’m worried you’re going to crash from starvation.”

Goro set his empty cup aside and wrapped an arm around Ren while he ate. “What if I make you a proposal? You can move in, and make sure I eat, if you prepare for and make an attempt at your entrance exams. You won’t say no, right?”

Ren looked at Goro with a frown on his face. But his boyfriend was smirking at him. He looked so smug. Goro knew Ren wanted them to live together sooner rather than later. Being around Goro all the time would make him feel safe. But also, he just wanted to.

Ren grumbled and turned his face away to eat his meal before it got cold.

At his silence, Goro laughed, before turning on the TV to occupy them until it was time for bed.

Though small, Goro’s apartment was perfectly filled so that there were no empty corners, save for one in his bedroom. That made any space an unwanted figure could occupy very limited.

“Can, you—” Ren hesitated, mulling over his words. “Can I sleep next to the wall?”

“You want the wall space?” Goro shrugged. “There’s no need to ask for it.”

Ren nodded and climbed onto the bed. He slid his legs under the covers as Goro turned off the lamp on his nightstand and crawled in next to him. He leaned forward to give Ren a quick kiss on the lips before lying down.

Ren glanced at their phones on the nightstand and smiled. “It’s past midnight; happy anniversary.”

“Hmn,” Goro responded, already dozing off.

Ren slid down and settled onto the mattress, and Goro lazily wrapped one arm around him. He did his best to fall asleep. Tried to focus on how tired he was and nothing else. It was all up to his mind. If he kept telling himself he was sleepy, he’d pass out. His eyes would grow heavy, his heart rate would settle. He’d drift off in no time.

But there was a ringing in his ears. It was faint but persistent. Ren tried to will it away, to block the noise out, but it kept going. Finally, he opened his eyes and turned his head to face Goro.

He was fast asleep. His expression was peaceful and happy. The sight made his heart soar. Ren leaned forward to give him a kiss on the forehead

. _But he’s being watched from the corner_

Ren slightly pushed himself up and saw red against black staring at him. Panicked, he dropped down and buried his face into Goro’s neck.

‘It’s not there. I saw nothing.’

His heart was racing. Had he met its eyes? He didn’t want to think about it. Define its shape in his mind. Give it meaning. Purpose. Reality. As long as he said it wasn’t there, it wasn’t real.

Ren could only have hoped that by morning it would go away. But it stayed. He wouldn’t allow himself to wonder if it slept, or where it did, or if it stayed up all night watching them.

All he knew now was that it was making him nervous. This was supposed to be his perfect day with Goro. He just wanted to make breakfast and head out on their date. But he kept fumbling with the pan he was cooking eggs in, and he’d already dropped one on the floor.

“You’re very jittery this morning,” Goro called to him from the couch. “Are you sure you don’t want help?”

“I’m fine! I told you I’m cooking for you today!” Ren took a deep breath and turned back to the fridge. He’d finished the eggs; he just needed to get out the juice. It was easy for Goro to question his skills

. _He didn’t see the black and blue, leaning against the side of the fridge, shifting and looking down at clawed hands_

Once breakfast was complete and the dishes put away – a task Goro insisted he take over, out of fear Ren would drop a glass – they departed for the park.

Ren had planned for them to rent out a swan boat that morning and pedal it around the lake. He walked hand in hand with Goro all through the park. It was an excellent place to lose track of the Boogeyman. They were surrounded by wide open spaces, families, and other couples. The sun shone overhead, erasing most of the shadows and making the day clear, crisp, and beautiful. And he knew it was drawn to darkness.

He hoped this meant they could have a peaceful trip around the lake.

“Here’s our chariot!” Ren motioned to the boat and Goro shook his head.

“I have a feeling your legs are going to tire out halfway through and I’ll have to take us back to shore.”

“Oh come on!” Ren scoffed. “I’m plenty athletic.”

“When?” Goro asked him with a mocking tone as he took a seat in the boat.

“You know, back when we met. All the flips I used to do count for nothing?”

Goro paused for a moment and shook his head. “Your amateur gymnastics stunts while helping Yoshizawa do not count.”

Ren took his seat with a pout, but he quickly gave it up as they started their journey around the lake. He had to admit, it was a bit more work than he anticipated to keep the swan going properly. Goro was much stronger at working the pedals, and if Ren didn’t keep up they’d just go in a circle. And while he didn’t say it out loud, he knew Goro caught on when he dropped his pace.

Regardless, they were having a good time

. _But something moved across the surface of the water_

Ren felt his eyes widen with a bit of panic as he tried to not look over his side of the boat. The Boogeyman’s shadow was reflected on the surface of the water

. _Standing tall and proud. Bold white and broad form with red and blue and gold. It moved along the surface of the water following the direction of the boat_

“Ren.” He turned his head to see Goro studying him. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“You’re working the boat erratically.” He motioned down to Ren’s legs.

He had stopped working the pedals at a steady pace and was only pumping one time for every three of Goro’s.

“O-oh! Sorry, I was just— distracted!” His breath hitched. “Thinking about our next stop! I’m excited to go! I-it’s a cat café! I heard they serve great pancakes.”

. _Something gold struck the neck of the swan_

Ren jumped in his seat, but restrained himself from looking up at what was sticking out of the boat’s neck. It was still wobbling up and down. Goro paid it no notice.

“Pancakes… Ren, really? You know I’m not _that_ fond of them…”

“But, you are fond of cats!”

. _Another one hit the boat this time almost at eye level_

Ren let out a distressed cry and scooted back in his seat. At first, Goro chuckled.

“What’s gotten into you?”

Ren shook his head and covered his eyes, “No, no, no, it’s not real. The doctor told me—”

“Ren?” Goro leaned over to put a hand on his shoulder. “Ren, are you okay?”

Ren kept his eyes covered. He nodded slowly.

“Hey, relax… I’ll still go to the café and enjoy it. Don’t get upset.” Goro leaned over to wrap an arm around him and place a kiss on his forehead. It was so soothing. Ren leaned across the seat to melt into his embrace

_.The next shot struck the water and sank to the bottom of the lake_

The café was not what Ren had expected.

The flyer had a picture of a kitten on it. He checked the website on the phone and it mentioned only cats.

Not girls in cat costumes.

“You’re sulking,” Goro leaned forward over their table, resting his chin against the palm of his hand.

“I wanted to go to a cat café. I wanted us to eat some pancakes and then cuddle with some cute kitties on the floor.”

“I’m sure if we asked our waitress, she’d like a cuddle.”

Ren tilted his head back and groaned. This was not how he wanted to spend his anniversary. First, the boat was disrupted by the Boogeyman, and now he had to deal with all the waitresses flirting with his boyfriend. Sometimes Goro’s status was a curse.

Well, at least this place was crowded. And the bright purple and yellow walls made hiding in the corners out of the question. Even still, he knew it couldn’t be far away. The hairs on the back of his neck were still standing up.

“I don’t want any of those women to cuddle with you.” Ren sat up in his seat. “It’s already bad enough they’re all flirting with you.”

“They’re flirting with you too, you know,” Goro pointed out. “It’s their job.”

“Meow, meow! I’m back, masters!” Their waitress pranced over to their table and set down a thick, fluffy pancake in front of Goro. On top, it had an ‘A’ styled in whipped cream and strawberries. “For you, Master! A special from the kitchen and all us staff!”

“Oh,” Goro chuckled nervously. “Thank you.” He didn’t dare make eye contact with Ren, who was scowling.

“And for you, Master! Meow!” The waitress set down another plate with two thick pancakes stacked on top of each other. On top, the cream was piped in the shape of a cat’s face, but in the middle, the chocolate and strawberry syrup had been used to spell out _‘CAW’_.

Ren stared down at the word and felt his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth. Under the table, his hands squeezed his knees as he tried to brace himself.

“Meow, Master? Is everything alright?”

“Ren,” Goro spoke up, “you look pale.”

“This…” He looked up at Goro and the waitress. They didn’t see it. “This is—”

“A cute little kitty cat!” The waitress dropped her act and seemed upset. “It’s what Akechi-san requested for your order!”

“Oh.” Ren nodded deftly. “Yes! Sorry, I was just surprised you knew… But if he asked, then that makes sense.” Ren smiled at her and she smiled back. The waitress left, relieved.

Goro continued to watch him. “Are you sure you’re fine?”

“Yes.” Ren kept staring at the word. He picked up his fork and smeared it through the writing. “I can’t eat something with such a cute face!” He offered up a fake laugh before he started to eat. He didn’t dare look around. But by the way the hair stood up on the back of his neck, and how the ringing started in his ears, he knew.

‘It’s not real, Ren.’ He closed his eyes and took a bite.  
  
It took all his willpower to swallow and not cry.

  
  


Their final destination for the day was the aquarium. It had been over a year since they’d come back and Ren wanted to close out their date with a return.

He wanted it to be uneventful, but by now he knew it wouldn’t be. His guard was up the entire time, though he knew he could not acknowledge why or for what. Even just admitting to himself that he had to be on the defense for it would allow it to harm him. And he couldn’t let that happen.

Walking through the tunnels of the aquarium was, in hindsight, a bad idea. The areas were dark and dimly lit under the blue light cast by the tanks. This was the perfect environment for the Boogeyman to stalk him. But still, at each step of the day, Goro had been right by his side. Ready to comfort and help him, even though he was unsure why Ren was falling apart.

And Ren couldn’t even tell him.

Because telling him would make it real.

He laced his hands with Goro’s as they ventured down the tunnel to watch the sea turtles swim overhead.

He felt safe with Goro by his side. Though he knew it was Goro that was making the Boogeyman so aggressive in his actions, Ren still felt safe. His mind was at ease when all he had to focus on was the love of his life.

“Oh! Look up!” Goro stopped and pointed up and to the right. “Do you see them?”

Ren followed his hand and spotted several smaller turtles swimming around.

“Oh, it looks like they added a bunch of babies to the tank!” Ren watched them swim around and steadily pass over them.

“You know most if not all of the turtles here will eventually be released back to the ocean. They only keep ones with injuries so severe that they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves or properly feed themselves.” Goro started explaining the aquarium’s rehabilitation process to Ren and he listened intently

. _And just over Goro’s shoulder, something stepped into view_

Ren’s eyes widened for a second as he tried to keep his focus on Goro. He didn’t want to betray that he became distracted. Distracted by something that isn’t there. So, he widened his smile and gave a nod.

But his eyes kept drifting; he could feel them being pulled to look over Goro’s shoulder and down the dimly lit hallway. He didn’t want to focus on it, so he forced his eyes to look at another couple a few steps away. A man and a woman looking excitedly at the fish swimming around in the tank with the turtles.

They seemed happy.

Their hands laced together, like his and Goro’s.

The woman pointed at the glass and leaned forward, squinting. She then stood back and turned around. The man turned with her.

Ren felt his heart race. He could see, from the looks on their faces, that they had seen it. Though he didn’t know what his expression was the first time he laid eyes on it, he couldn’t imagine it was that much different from the bewildered and shocked expressions on the couple behind Goro.

They were speaking now, and the ringing returned to Ren’s ears. The noise was so loud he visibly winced in response.

“Ren?” Goro tugged on his arm. “Ren, what are you looking a—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the woman screamed behind them. Goro turned around, and Ren finally gave the scene before him his full attention.

The woman was screaming as her partner grabbed her hair and turned her towards the glass of the tunnel. His face was twisted with a manic, angry grin. His eyes were wide with disgust and delight as he slammed her face into the glass.

“What the hell!?” Goro let go of Ren’s hand. “Hey!”

Goro ran forward as the man slammed her face into the glass again. He grabbed the man’s arm and yanked him backward, forcing him to release the woman. The two began to grapple and Ren remained frozen to the spot.

As soon as Goro let go of his hand

. _footsteps approached him from behind_

The ringing grew louder

_"?Well"_

It was so loud it drowned out the sounds of the woman sobbing on the ground, and Goro and the man shouting as Goro forced him down to the floor

_"?Well”_

Ren felt his breath catch in his throat. He couldn’t breathe. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it standing behind him. The black figure. The red eyes. The beak. Ren forced himself to move away from it, to take a step toward Goro, who now had the man pinned on the ground.

However, Goro looked over his shoulder at him and started shouting, agitated.

“Ren! Stay back!” Goro had to put all his weight on the man to hold him down. “Go call the staff! Hurry!”

“I—“ Ren shook his head. If he left Goro, then he’d be alone. “I—”

The ringing continued. It grew louder every second, to the point that it was piercing into his brain. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he knew it was leaning over his shoulder.

Ren squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands over his ears.

‘It isn’t real.’

_"?Well"_

“Ren!” Goro’s muffled scream barely reached him.

‘It can’t hurt me.’

_“?Well”_

The ringing was so loud he thought he was going to go deaf.

“Ren! Are you alright!?”

‘It’s just a Boogeyman.’

Ren dropped to his knees, unable to run away from it

"? _Well”_  
  
  
  
 _“?Are you awake now”_

  
  


By the time they arrived back at Goro’s apartment from the aquarium, it was past ten. It took security forever to reach them and help Goro subdue the man. Then they had to wait for the police and an ambulance. There was a torrent of questioning, officers pulling him and Goro away from each other. Goro insisted Ren needed to go in an ambulance to be checked out after his freak out. Which resulted in them arguing that he would not spend their anniversary sitting in a hospital room when he just wanted to be at home with him.

Eventually, Goro relented and took Ren home.

And the entire time, it stayed close by.

Constantly just out of the corner of Ren’s vision. Or just over the shoulder of whoever he was speaking to at the moment.

It made him so sick.

Why today of all days?

The moment Ren stepped into the apartment, he made his way to the kitchen, insisting he was still going to make the curry he planned for them.

Goro didn’t fight, too exhausted, and settled onto the couch. He did enjoy Ren’s cooking, and he wasn’t going to fight him anymore today.

So Ren went to work chopping ingredients and cooking rice. His work in the kitchen almost covered up the sounds of it creeping around the apartment. But in between the pots and pans, Ren could hear it dragging its claws along the walls and pulling up corners of the carpet.

Goro heard nothing.

“You’ve been so shaken up today, I almost feel like we should try again tomorrow.”

“But you don’t have off tomorrow.” Ren shook his head as he stirred up the pot of curry. “And today is our day. The day we decided to officially become a couple.”

Goro sighed and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “I know, I know… Though I still sometimes wonder why we took so long.”

“Because you’re a stubborn idiot.” Ren scooped out rice for both of them onto their plates and added the curry beside it. “You kept talking about going off to college. And didn’t even want to entertain that we had anything more than a ‘friendly rivalry’.”

Ren paused before picking up the plates, as if expecting a follow-up statement to his. Expecting to be corrected in some way.

He carried over the two plates and set them down on the coffee table next to the couch. He then hurried back over to the fridge and pulled out the little cake he had ordered. Ren took it out of its box and carefully walked over to Goro to display it before him.

“Happy Anniversary, Goro!”

On top of the cake, the words ‘Happy Anniversary 2/2/20XX’ were written on top in blue.

Goro chuckled. “So this is why I was banned from my own fridge.”

Ren took a seat next to him and checked his phone. It was only eleven forty.

“Made it with twenty minutes to spare.” Ren set his phone down and started to eat alongside Goro.

There was no ringing in his ears, and the scratching around the apartment stopped. It appeared that, if only for a moment, he was finally allowed peace on his special day. A chance to focus on only Goro, and not the things that were never there.

Sometime after midnight, Goro helped him pack away what was left of the curry and the sliver of cake they didn’t eat before leading him back to the bedroom.

The Boogeyman was probably in the room the entire time.

It was an idle thought in the back of Ren’s head. But it wasn’t the focus of his thoughts.

The focus of his thoughts was savoring the taste of frosted sugar on Goro’s lips. Or the way his touches gave him a different kind of anxiousness, one that he welcomed and couldn’t get enough of. How heat pooled in his stomach and spread out over his body, leaving him flushed and his head spinning.

He was focused on the way Goro’s hands felt on his chest, his stomach, and down to his thighs. How his fingers tangled at the base of his hair as he leaned forward to whisper into his ear. How every sound was drowned out by his own breathy moans and short gasps.

It was probably watching them.

But it could only watch them.

Because it wasn’t real.

And Goro was.

And that was all that had mattered to Ren for the past year.

  
  


The next morning, Ren woke up facing the wall and rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted. Yesterday was so overwhelming for a day that was supposed to be a celebration of the happiest moment of his life.

He rolled over to wish Goro good morning only to find the bed empty.

Ren sat up, still dazed, and looked around the room

. _And looked right into its eyes_

His heart stopped.

He snapped his gaze away, now wide awake. Saliva started to pool in his mouth as he raced to scramble his mantra together. Yet before he could do so, he heard it walking across the room towards him.

Panicked, Ren got to his feet and hurried toward the door, shouting for his boyfriend.

“Goro!” He stepped out of the bedroom and looked up and down the hallway. At shoulder and waist height the paint had been scraped and clawed at. Five finger marks going this way and that, crisscrossing and zig-zagging down to the drywall.

It was still walking towards him. Slowly.

Ren moved quickly to the bathroom. “Goro!” He opened the door and stuck his head in. Goro wasn’t there. But the mirror was smashed, and its pieces scattered on the ground.

Ren backed up, letting out a whimper.

If Goro wasn’t here... then he was alone.

He felt it just next to him at the doorway, and Ren turned and hurried off down the hall toward the main room.

“Goro, answer me!”

His eyes fell on the couch, and he felt tears welling up and rolling out over his cheeks. Its pillows were slashed apart, and the frayed edges were burned from the heat of a blade. His breath was starting to stagger and he turned toward the kitchen.

The refrigerator door was pierced with several golden arrows and swinging on its hinges.

The leftover cake was upside-down on the floor before it.

“Goro…” The ringing started in his ears.

Ren closed his eyes and shook his head.

“It’s not real.”

He could hear its footsteps circling him now.

“It can’t hurt me.”

The ringing grew louder as its voice became sharper.

“You’re not real!”

_".What the doctor told you is a lie”_

“You’re just a figment of my imagination.” Ren shook his head, but kept his eyes closed.

_“!?Can your imagination do this”_

He still didn’t open his eyes, but he heard something shatter in the apartment. In response, Ren screamed.

“Leave me alone!” Ren’s body shook, partly with fear, mostly with frustration.

_".Never”_

“Go away! I just want to be happy!” He turned his head as he screamed, assuming he knew where it was.

 _"!Wake up!”_ Something else in the apartment fell over and broke. _“You aren’t happy”_

“I am happy!” Ren panicked and stumbled forward. He reached out, groping until he found the kitchen counter, and braced himself against it as he screamed at the wall. “I am happy! This is everything I could ever want!”

_".This is not happiness”_

Ren leaned forward, sobbing, his tears raining onto the counter.

_“.This is a cage. You’ve locked yourself inside"_

Ren was hyperventilating. He tried to slide along the counter, away from the voice. His arms and hands flailed about until he came in contact with the knife block.

The moment he touched it, his mind snapped to a decision. He grabbed one of the knives and finally acknowledged his Boogeyman.

“How would you know!?” Ren spun around with the knife, eyes open and full of rage. “You wanted to leave me—!”

He tried to stab at him, but before he could, a loud echo rang through the apartment. A sharp and sudden bang ripped through him and left a new ringing sensation in his ears and a corresponding pain in his gut. The world before him shattered as he fell to his knees and the glass screen that separated him from his Boogeyman scattered around him in pieces.

Ren dropped his knife and clutched at his gut, gasping in shock. His arms trembled and his body swayed. He could barely lift his head up enough to stare at the boots in front of him. The ones with a metal claw-like covering over the top and the black and blue striped jumpsuit legs.

“You let your guard down, Joker.”

Ren opened his mouth to speak, but only spit up blood and bile.

“Well? Are you awake now?”

The Boogeyman reached down and carefully stroked his cheek with the back of his clawed hand.  
  
It was almost affectionate.

All Ren could do was scream. He started wailing and convulsing on the floor. He pulled away from the hand and clawed at the bits of broken glass around him. Feebly, his mind told him to reconstruct the screen. But he could only shake and roll on his side.

Finally, he mustered up the strength to scream out a word.

“D-Doctor!” Ren spit up again. “DOCTOR!”

“Oh, come on…” His Boogeyman seemed exasperated. “You’re not even going to try and fight it?”

Ren let out a cry. Of fear. Of sadness.

Of regret.

His Boogeyman took a step forward and Ren could see him, out of the corner of his eye, raise his gun and point it at his head.

“I once asked you to show me no pity. Should I return the favor?”

Ren said nothing. He couldn’t say anything anymore. He was choking on his own blood and tears.

But his Boogeyman never fired. Instead, he lowered his gun as a black and blue tentacle rose up out of the puddle of blood on the kitchen floor. The Boogeyman looked around, watching them spring up around Ren. Their long-clawed hands began wrapping around his body.

“Well,” his Boogeyman backed up, “I guess that’s all for this round, Joker.”

Ren could only let his body sag as the tentacles wrapped around him, obscuring his view of the apartment. He could only catch one last glimpse of his rival’s sullen expression as he blacked out, cocooned in the safety of the doctor’s appendages.  
  


When Ren woke up, he was facing the wall.

He stared at it blankly for a few moments, exhausted. His stomach felt cramped and his eyes felt dry.

He rolled over to greet Goro, only to find the bed empty. Instantly his heart jumped.

He was alone.

Ren sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. “Goro!” he shouted out into the apartment.

“I’m in the kitchen!” Goro shouted back. As Ren got up, Goro returned to the room. He stood in the doorway, dressed and with a smile on his face. “Sorry, you looked so peaceful sleeping. I figured you needed the rest after how wound up you were yesterday.”

Ren nodded, feeling his heart slow down the moment he saw his boyfriend’s face.

“Yeah, I guess I did… I’m sorry, I just... had a rough dream.”

Goro walked into the room and reached forward to hold Akira by the back of the neck, so he could kiss his forehead.

“Well, you’re awake now. Go freshen up; I’ve started breakfast.” Goro let go of him and exited the room.

Ren took a few steps back until his legs came in contact with the bed and he fell back to sit.

He took a few deep breaths before looking around the room and staring at the empty corner.

He was alone.

He was all alone.

  
  
  
  


At least until the Boogeyman paid him another visit.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Summary:
> 
> It's been a year since Ren took Maruki's deal. And Akechi Goro continues his mission to snap Ren out of the false reality, no matter the cost.


End file.
